'We are not amused' - the meaning and origin of this phrase We are not amused A quotation, attributed to Queen Victoria. Origin This supposed quotation was attributed to Queen Victoria by courtier Caroline Holland in Notebooks of a Spinster Lady, 1919. Holland attests that Victoria made the remark at Windsor Castle: 'There is a tale of the unfortunate equerry who ventured during dinner at Windsor to tell a story with a spice of scandal or impropriety in it. "We are not amused," said the Queen when he had finished.' Holland doesn't claim to have been present at the dinner and is good enough to describe the account as a "tale', that is, her account has the same standing as "a man in the pub told me". Despite the fact that in almost all of the photographs and paintings of her, Victoria provides a particularly po-faced demeanour, she had the reputation of being in private a very fun loving and amusing companion, especially in her youth and before the crown began to weigh heavily on her. In public it was another matter, as Victoria preferred to maintain what she saw as the dignity of her position by remaining sternly impassive.

She did, of course, become considerably less fun-loving after the death of her husband and her persona in later life is well-documented as being dour and strait-laced . As to whether she ever uttered the expression 'we are not amused', there's little convincing evidence that she did so with the intention of conveying the serious intent that we now ascribe to the phrase, although in the 1976 biography Victoria Was Amused, Alan Hardy makes the claim (again without offering explicit evidence) that Victoria did sometimes utter the expression ironically. The evidence to support the idea that Queen Victoria originated this expression 'we are not amused' lies somewhere between thin and nonexistent. 'I Never Said That!' | History Today 'I Never Said That!' By Christopher Winn Posted 11th January 2012, 9:05 In January 1979, while Britain was suffering from widespread strikes during the ‘Winter of Discontent’, Prime Minister James Callaghan returned to London from a summit in the West Indies, and when asked to comment on the mounting chaos, apparently replied ‘Crisis? What crisis?’ – a quote that would haunt him for the rest of his life. In fact, he never said it.

The quote was a Sun newspaper headline which brilliantly captured the public perception of a government out of touch. Here are some more things, with a January flavour, that famous people never said... ‘Let them eat cake’. Louis XVI’s queen, Marie Antoinette, who was buried in Saint Denis Basilica in January 1815, was alleged to have said this on being told that the French people had no bread to eat. In fact it was probably attributed to her by French revolutionaries to paint her as callous and uncaring. Jean-Jaques Rousseau mentions the phrase as ‘the thoughtless sayings of a great princess’, referring to Marie Therese, wife of Louis XIV. ‘Elementary, my dear Watson’. Sherlock Holmes, whose birthday was in January, in fact never spoke his most famous line in any of the stories written by his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. P.G. Wodehouse was the first to use the phrase in his 1915 novel Psmith, Journalist, and it pops up again at the end of the 1929 film The Return of Sherlock Holmes. ‘We are not amused’.

Queen Victoria, who died in January 1901, is said to have uttered this put down to an equerry who told a rather too risque story during dinner at Windsor Castle – she was not using the royal ‘we’ but speaking on behalf of all the ladies present. The famous phrase has since come to sum up the supposed po-faced stuffiness of the Victorian era. In fact, Queen Victoria, who had a keen sense of humour, is understood to have told her grand-daughter, Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, that she never uttered those words. ‘Bugger Bognor’. On being told he might soon be well enough to recuperate in Bognor, George V is said to have uttered these immortal words just before he died in January 1936.

In fact, according to his doctor, Lord Dawson, the king’s last words were ‘God damn you!’ From the archive: 10 Historical Quotes That We Always Get Wrong 10 Historical Quotes That We Always Get Wrong By Radu Alexander on July 14, 2015 “The ends justify the means” – Niccolo Machiavelli Source: Rost Online As a pioneer of the consequentialism movement, Machiavelli’s work certainly embodies this iconic phrase, but he never actually said it. He gets closest when he writes that the final result must always be taken into account before acting. As far as the line itself goes, we don’t know who first said it in this current form. Similar sayings have been attributed to writers like Ovid and Sophocles ever since ancient times. “We are not amused” – Queen Victoria According to those who knew her, Victoria was amused quite often and had a roaring laugh. Source: The London Evening Post British royals are usually portrayed as grumpy, prudish and generally no fun. This unflattering image primarily comes from the Victorian era which, as the name suggests, was named after Queen Victoria.

Obviously, as the main representative, the queen had to be the grumpiest of all. This reputation was solidified through Victoria’s most memorable one-liner – We are not amused. However, establishing the veracity of the quote is somewhat problematic. There are numerous stories about where and why the queen uttered the famous words, but they all involve different places and people. To say which one of them, if any, is correct, is impossible. Most of them claim that Queen Victoria declared her lack of amusement when she heard a racy joke or story. But in a 1977 interview, Princess Alice, Victoria’s granddaughter, said she had asked her grandmother about the quote, and Queen Victoria replied that she never said such a thing. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” – William Congreve Source: Wikimedia Unfortunately for Mr. Congreve, he really gets the short end of the stick when it comes to quotes. For starters, he gets misquoted a lot since the famous line actually is Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned. Even worse, though, everyone thinks Shakespeare wrote it, mostly because it sounds like something Shakespeare would write.

And last, but not least, this isn’t even the only quote of Congreve that gets this treatment. In the same play where this quote can be found, The Mourning Bride, he also says Music has charms to soothe a savage breast. The line is, again, misquoted (he says breast, not beast) and is oftentimes attributed to Shakespeare. “Elementary, my dear Watson” – Sherlock Holmes Source: Neat Pipes You would think that one of the most popular characters in literature would remember to say his most famous line. But that’s not the case with Sherlock Holmes, who never once said “Elementary, my dear Watson” in any of the stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. He did say “Elementary” on several occasions and “Exactly, my dear Watson” in three stories. The iconic line didn’t appear until the movies. “The only two certainties in life are death and taxes” – Mark Twain Source: Oregon Live Mark Twain was certainly known for his wit, which is probably why everyone thought that he said this, as well. However, this one isn’t his. There are two versions of the quote uttered relatively close together.

In 1716, Christopher Bullock said it’s impossible to be sure of anything but death and taxes, and eight years later, Edward Ward said that Death and taxes, they are certain. 8 famous quotes we have been getting wrong all this time - Telegraph Culture 8 famous quotes we have been getting wrong all this time From Sherlock Holmes to Captain James T Kirk, here are eight famous lines of dialogue commonly misquoted or misattributed “Elementary, my dear Watson” Photo: Hartswood Films 2013 By Mark Molloy 4:52PM BST 10 Sep 2014 "Did you know they didn't actually say that?" There are hundreds of misattributed and incorrect quotes from various decades which are now widely accepted as correct. Here are eight famous lines of dialogue we have been misquoting or incorrectly referencing all this time. 1.“Not a lot of people know that” – Michael Cain Sir Michael Caine expressed his annoyance at being associated with the famous catchphrase, as it was comedian Peter Sellers who actually coined it. “I do not mind something clever being attributed to me but I do mind something stupid that I did not say or do,” he told ICorrect.com. 2.

“We are not amused” - Queen Victoria Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children in 1846 (Photo: BBC) Queen Victoria is believed to have uttered the famous phrase after a dinner guest told a risque story at Windsor Castle. However, there is no clear evidence that Britain’s longest reigning monarch said the famous words. 3. “Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in 1937 (Photo: Walt Disney) The original Disney animation actually featured the line, “Magic mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?” The 2012 Snow White and the Huntsman update featured the “mirror, mirror” line. 4. “Elementary, my dear Watson” - Sherlock Holmes Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes Photo: BBC Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes never actually used the phrase in his collection of stories about the fictional detective. The “elementary” line was written by PG Wodehouse in his 1915 novel Psmith, Journalist. 5.

“Beam me up, Scotty” – Captain James T Kirk Captain Kirk Victoria of the United Kingdom - Wikiquote Victoria of the United Kingdom From Wikiquote Jump to: navigation , search Since it has pleased Providence to place me in this station, I shall do my utmost to fulfil my duty towards my country Victoria of the United Kingdom (Alexandrina Victoria Wettin, née Hanover) (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom from 20 June 1837, and Empress of India from 1876 until her death. Her reign lasted more than sixty-three years, second only to that of reigning monarch Elizabeth II . The reign of Victoria was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire and is called the Victorian Era. Victoria was the last monarch of the House of Hanover; her successor belonged to the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. This political figure article is a stub . You can help Wikiquote by expanding it .

Contents Quotes[ edit ] Since it has pleased Providence to place me in this station, I shall do my utmost to fulfil my duty towards my country; I am very young and perhaps in many, though not in all things, inexperienced, but I am sure that very few have more real good will and more real desire to do what is fit and right than I have. Extract from the Queen's Journal, Tuesday, 20th June 1837. Affairs go on, and all will take some shape or other, but it keeps one in hot water all the time. Letter to King of the Belgians, Nuneham, 15th June, 1841 (Note: Nuneham was the house of Edward Vernon Harcourt, Archbishop of York). All marriage is such a lottery -- the happiness is always an exchange -- though it may be a very happy one -- still the poor woman is bodily and morally the husband's slave. That always sticks in my throat. When I think of a merry, happy, and free young girl -- and look at the ailing aching state a young wife is generally doomed to -- which you can't deny is the penalty of marriage.

Letter (16 May 1860), published in Dearest Child: Letters Between Queen Victoria and the Princess Royal Previously Unpublished edited by Roger Fulfold (1964), p. 254. Also quoted in the article "Queen Victoria's Not So Victorian Writings" by Heather Palmer (1997). I am most anxious to enlist everyone who can speak or write to join in checking this mad, wicked folly of "Women's Rights," with all its attendant horrors... Were women to "unsex" themselves by claiming equality with men, they would become the most hateful, heathen, and disgusting of beings and would surely perish without male protection. In an 1870 letter, quoted for example in All For Love: Seven Centuries of Illicit Liaison by Val Horsler (2006), p. 104 . At the bottom of this page , it is mentioned that the comment was written in a letter to Sir Theodore Martin in reaction to news "that Viscountess Amberley had become president of the Bristol and West of England Women's Suffrage Society and had addressed a ...

public meeting on the subject." The author of the page, Helena Wojtczak, says here that while other sources often fail to give the context, she "researched and discovered the source of the quote". It seems to me a defect in our much famed Constitution, to have to part with an admirable Govt like Ld Salisbury's for no question of any importance or any particular reason, merely on account of the number of votes. Comment made after Salisbury lost power to Gladstone in 1892, quoted in Queen Victoria: A Biographical Companion by Helen Rappaport (2003), p. 331 . We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat; they do not exist. December 1899 letter to Arthur Balfour during the "Black Week" of the Boer War, as quoted in The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations (1993), p. 539 . According to Lady Gwendolen Cecil , it was a verbal statement to Mr. Balfour in Windsor Palace, as recorded in her biography of her Father, Life of Robert, marquis of Salisbury, volume 3 (1921), p.

191 Disputed[ edit ] We are not amused. This quotation is attributed to Victoria, with varying stories. In Caroline Holland's Notebooks of a Spinster Lady, published in 1919, the story is put without clear details: "Her remarks can freeze as well as crystallise. There is a tale of the unfortunate equerry who ventured during dinner at Windsor to tell a story with a spice of scandal or impropriety in it. "We are not amused," said the Queen when he had finished" [1] . Other stories describe it as a saying after viewing a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore[ citation needed ] or a reaction to a groom-in-waiting of hers, the Hon. Alexander Grantham Yorke, either to a theatrical production he put on,[ citation needed ] or to a risqué joke he told to a German guest and which the Queen asked him to repeat after the guest laughed loudly.[ citation needed ] The quote appeared in a chapter of the 1885 novel The Talk of the Town by James Payn, but without being attributed specifically to Queen Victoria. On p.

219 of the book, a character named William Henry is cut off in the midst of telling a story, and the author compares this to an anecdote involving an unnamed member of the Royalty: "There was once a young gentleman who was endeavouring to make himself agreeable as a raconteur in the presence of Royalty. When he had done his story, the Royal lips let fall these terrible words: 'We are not amused.' Poor William Henry found himself in much the same position." A book from two years later, the 1887 Royal Girls and Royal Courts by Mary Sherwood, does attribute the quote to Victoria in a chapter on English Royalty, in the following anecdote from p. 182 : "Sir Arthur Helps, however, told a different story.

Sitting low down the table, he described the members of the household as chatting and laughing, when the Queen—looking grimly at them—remarked, 'We are not amused!' which must have had a cooling effect." This article says that the Yale Book of Quotations by Fred Shapiro also gives Victoria's secretary Arthur Helps as the source, and that it was reported in an 1887 newspaper article, although since this was two years later than James Payn's anecdote in The Talk of the Town this might cast some doubt on the validity of the story. More recent documents suggest that the attribution of the quote to Victoria is in fact misguided, instead belonging to Queen Elizabeth I.[ citation needed ] An interview with Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone in 1976 states that the Princess asked her grandmother about this quotation and that Victoria said that she had never said the famous phrase (see the clip at 5:56 in this video , from the 2001 BBC program Reel Victorians: Nineties Girls ; the clip is from an interview that originally aired in the 1977 BBC program Royal Heritage: Victoria, Queen and Empress - The Princess Alice Interview ). I will be good.

Allegedly, 11-year-old Victoria's spoken response in 1830 when her governess let her know that one day she would be Queen. As discussed in Becoming Victoria by Lynne Vallone (2001) on p. 44 -45, "the anecdote survives in a number of competing versions", some aspects of which the author calls "dubious". And as mentioned on p. 45, Victoria's own recollection of learning she would someday become Queen was "I cried much on learning it—& even deplored this contingency". Bolivia does not exist. On discovering that Bolivia is landlocked and its capital lay high in the mountains, having ordered the Royal Navy to bombard it. This anecdote is recounted in a few published sources such as The Rough Guide to Bolivia by James Read (2002), but no scholarly historical sources have been located. About Queen Victoria[ edit ] The warrior, sage, and poet fill their story With all the various honours of mankind ; — May thy young reign achieve yet truer glory, The pure, enlightened triumphs of the mind !

Too much in this wide world yet needs redressing ; But with thy reign Hope’s loveliest promise came. May thy sweet youth be sheltered by the blessing A nation breathes upon Victoria’s name ! Letitia Elizabeth Landon , Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1838 (1837), 'To the Queen' Whether the queen caused the period, or the period creates the queen, she fitted her time perfectly. Florence Becker Lennon , The Life of Lewis Carroll (1962); page 27. 9 of history's best quotes | History Extra Directory 9 of history's best quotes From Marie Antoinette’s “Let them eat cake!” to Queen Victoria’s “We are not amused”, history is full of memorable one-liners. But how accurately do we remember them? Here we explore the real history behind nine famous quotes… Tuesday 17th May 2016 Queen Victoria, who reportedly said "We are not amused".

(Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Neil Armstrong: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” On 20 July 1969, as Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon, he marked the momentous event with this iconic statement. After jumping more than three feet down from his spacecraft Apollo 11 onto the moon’s surface and issuing his immortal words, Armstrong explored the moon’s surface for two-and-a-half hours along with fellow American astronaut Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin. The pair made their mark by planting an American flag and a plaque that read, "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind". Interestingly, though, the words uttered by Armstrong in that historic moment are in fact a misquote. After a safe journey home Armstrong told the press that what he had actually said – or intended to – was, “That’s one small step for a man”. The indefinite article was lost over the crackling audio connection – a small omission that led to a significant change in the quote’s meaning. Armstrong acknowledged this, saying that “The ‘a’ was intended. I thought I said it”.

Yet since the misquote had already been repeated the world over, Armstrong was forced to concede “I can’t hear it when I listen on the radio reception here on earth, so I’ll be happy if you just put it in parentheses”. American astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon as commander of the Apollo 11 lunar mission. (MPI/Getty Images) Marie Antoinette: “Let them eat cake!” According to popular legend, this flippant remark was Marie Antoinette’s response to being told that the French people were starving and they could not afford bread. The quote, widely attributed to her, has become a symbol of the callous decadence of France’s monarchy on the eve of the French Revolution (1789–99). Antoinette was famed for her extravagant lifestyle, and her exclamation of “Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" (which actually translates more literally to ‘let them eat brioche’ or a enriched, egg-based bread) was seen as damning mockery of the plight of her people. It is now generally accepted, though, that Antoinette most likely never uttered these famous words.

Instead they are thought to have been attributed to her by revolutionary propaganda keen to portray her as ignorant, distant and uncaring. Writing for History Revealed magazine, Emily Brand has suggested that the expression in fact pre-dates Antoinette. It is first referenced as the words “of a great princess” in Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s 1766 treatise Confessions, written when Antoinette was only 11 years old. Brand argues the saying was only linked to Antoinette 50 years after her execution in 1793. But while this quote may not in reality have been uttered by Antoinette, the phrase had sticking power because of the popular perception, whether justified or not, of the French queen as outrageously extravagant and insensitive to the struggles of her people. Marie Antoinette in a 1775 portrait by Jean-Baptiste Gautier Dagoty. (Universal History Archive/Getty Images) Winston Churchill: “We shall fight on the beaches… we shall never surrender” Over the course of his political career, Winston Churchill delivered many iconic speeches in the face of war and hardship.

From “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few” (1940) to “An iron curtain has descended across the continent” (1946), Churchill has been recognised as one of history’s most inspiring speakers. Churchill’s “We shall fight on the beaches” quote was part of a grave yet rousing speech given by the prime minister in the aftermath the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation. Churchill’s words were arguably fundamental in transforming the event in the popular imagination from a humiliating defeat into a miraculous triumph of bravery and determination. Indeed, Churchill’s words – which are often misquoted as “we shall fight them on the beaches” – have been immortalised as an example of Britain’s plucky ‘Blitz spirit’ in the face of adversity. A frequently misremembered fact about the “We shall fight on the beaches” speech is that Churchill did not originally read it out over the nation’s airwaves. He delivered the speech unrecorded to the House of Commons and sections of it were later read out by a BBC radio announcer.

The famous recording we recognise today was not actually made until nine years later in 1949, when it was thought that Churchill's words should be set down for posterity. Churchill delivering his “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” speech over BBC radio in 1940. (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) Queen Victoria: “We are not amused” The story goes that this famous line was Queen Victoria’s retort to a risqué anecdote told by a tactless guest at a Windsor dinner party. In this version of events the “we” is intended, not as the royal “we”, but as a reference to all the ladies present who were unimpressed by such vulgar behaviour. Disappointingly, though, it is not clear whether this story stems from historical fact or just appealing urban legend. “We are not amused” has perhaps had such sticking power because it is emblematic of the public image of Victoria in her later years – a po-faced, dumpy woman dressed in black. The quote fits neatly with this straitlaced portrayal of her and also provides a handy epithet for popular ideas about Victorian society being stuffy and uptight.

The association of Victoria with the humourless quote arguably portrays the monarch in an unfair light. Writing for the Washington Post, historian Kate Williams has suggested that “dour” photos of Victoria, (the first photographed monarch) – taken before people learned how to pose – “unfairly colour our view of her”. Williams claims that Victoria was “full of passion for life, forgiving of moral peccadilloes” and “always loved laughter and jokes”. She was, in fact, often amused. A photograph of Queen Victoria c1887. (Alexander Bassano/Spencer Arnold/Getty Images) Julius Caesar: “I came, I saw, I conquered” Translated from the Latin “Veni, Vidi, Vici”, this line is attributed to Roman emperor Julius Caesar, who supposedly used it to boast of his military success. According to ancient accounts, Caesar sent the three-word message to Rome in 47 BC to report on his victory over Pharnaces II of Pontus in the battle of Zela. Despite being significantly outnumbered at Zela, Caesar managed to crush the Pontic forces. His five-day campaign proved a swift, decisive victory that saw Pharnaces subdued by Caesar’s military might.

According to Roman historian Suetonius’s The Twelve Caesars (AD 121) the “Veni, Vidi, Vici” slogan was also inscribed on placards during the ‘Pontic triumph’ – a public procession in celebration of Caesar’s return to Rome following his military victory. In his Life of Caesar, Greek biographer Plutarch (c46–120 AD) writes that “In Latin the words have the same inflectional ending, and so a brevity which is most impressive”. Bust of Julius Caesar. (National Museum in Naples/Bettman/Getty) FDR: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” These famous words were spoken during Franklin D Roosevelt’s first inaugural address, delivered at the United States Capitol, Washington DC on 4 March 1933. Following an election victory over republican Herbert Hoover in 1932, Roosevelt became the 32nd president of the United States. Known as ‘FDR’, he went on to become the first president to serve a total of four terms. Elected during the depths of America’s Great Depression, Roosevelt made his 20-minute address a solemn and resolved affair.

It tackled head-on the nation’s economic crisis and unemployment, blaming the “callous and selfish wrongdoing” of bankers and businessmen. This quote, which goes on to describe “fear itself” as the “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses needed effort to convert retreat into advance” appeared near the very beginning of Roosevelt’s address. Contemporaries understood it as a pointed attack on the damaged and pessimistic American mindset of the time, which had been dealt a heavy blow by the economic crash. Broadcast to tens of millions of Americans over national radio networks, FDR’s speech was generally accepted as a dynamic and inspiring promise to get America back on track. President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his first inaugural address at the Capitol in 1933. (George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images) Oscar Wilde: “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about” This remark, from Oscar Wilde’s 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, is just one example of reams of quotable material from the celebrated writer, conversationalist and wit.

Wilde’s comic plays made a satire of the contradictions and petty manners of polite Victorian society. Works including The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) and An Ideal Husband (1895) are full of the wry observances and witty aphorisms for which Wilde is best known. Dozens of his phrases, including “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars”; “Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much” and “I have nothing to declare but my genius” have proven enduringly popular. In 2007 Wilde was voted Britain’s greatest wit in a poll of more than 3,000 comedy fans, beating to the top spot Spike Milligan, Winston Churchill and Noel Coward. The Irish-born Wilde was wisecracking until the very end, reportedly quipping on his Parisian deathbed in November 1900, “Either those curtains go, or I do”. Colourised photograph of Oscar Wilde from around 1870.

(Roger Viollet Collection/Getty Images) Queen Elizabeth I: “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too” This assertion of royal power from Elizabeth I was part of a rousing speech delivered by the queen in one of England’s darkest moments, as the nation faced the threat of imminent attack from the Spanish Armada. Elizabeth’s rallying cry was intended to motivate the English troops assembled at Tilbury in August 1588 as they awaited the arrival of an unprecedented Spanish invasion force. Through her words the queen clearly portrayed herself as a warrior ready to fight for her nation. Accounts portray Elizabeth addressing her troops atop a white steed, wearing a helmet and cutlass. Despite the threat to her safety, the queen allegedly refused to return to London, instead resolving to stay at the English army camp at Tilbury. She reportedly declared that she would “not think of deserting her army at a time of danger”.

Writing for History Extra in 2015, Robert Hutchinson revealed that although the speech elsewhere pledges that “shortly we shall have a famous victory over these enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people’’, in reality it was probably not delivered in a moment of imminent danger. Hutchinson suggests that Elizabeth’s stirring words only reached her men after the Armada was already in retreat. The words were recorded by royal courtier Lionel Sharp and later repeated to the army. Elizabeth I of England is depicted riding a horse as she reviews her troops at Tilbury, c1560. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Eleanor Roosevelt: “Women are like teabags – you don’t know how strong they are until you put them in hot water” While her husband, Franklin D Roosevelt, was serving as US president between 1933 and 1945, Eleanor Roosevelt redefined the role of first lady through her active engagement in politics. An outspoken social campaigner and early ambassador of the United Nations, Eleanor was also engaged in human rights work, playing a significant role in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

Many inspirational quotes have been attributed to Eleanor, including “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”; “Do one thing every day that scares you” and “It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself”. Her “Women are like teabags” quote seems to draw on several older variations of the idea, including “A man is like an egg, the longer he is kept in hot water the harder he is when taken out”, which appeared in an 1858 Boston newspaper, and “Men are like potatoes; they do not know how soon they may be in hot water”, from an 1870 Dublin newspaper. While there is little concrete evidence that Eleanor spoke the original quote, it is now widely attributed to her. The adage is reportedly a favourite of presidential candidate Hilary Clinton, who herself recently ascribed it to Eleanor. The Straight Dope: Victoria said, "We are not amused." Not amused by what? A Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's Storehouse of Human Knowledge Victoria said, "We are not amused." Not amused by what?

April 15, 1994 Dear Cecil: Queen Victoria once remarked, with British understatement, "We are not amused." What was she not amused by? — Mark Terry, Kailua, Hawaii Cecil replies: Obviously it wasn't us; we didn't arrive on the scene till 72 years after she left. Too bad. If she weren't dead, we woulda slayed her. Victoria's comment is said to have been inspired by the Hon. Alexander Grantham (Alick) Yorke, one of her grooms-in-waiting. (A relative described him as an "elderly pansy." Flower lover, I guess.) The job of a groom-in-waiting, or anyway Alick's job, was to hang around the castle and be funny. As all wits know, however, you're funnier some days than others. On one of Alick's not-so-funny days, some say, he told a risque story to a German guest ("Gab es ein junger Mann von Nantucket ..."), who laughed loudly, moving the queen to ask that the story be repeated. It was, and she wasn't. Amused, I mean.

She was not using the royal "we," though, but rather was speaking for the affronted ladies of the court. Another version has it that in one of the amateur theatricals Alick liked to organize at the palace he undertook to do an impression of Victoria, who failed to see the humor of it. Still others say the queen was disposed to say "We are not amused" whenever the conversation took a ribald turn. Hmm, maybe she wouldn't have thought the Straight Dope was so hilarious after all. Victoria's other significant contribution to the quotation books was "I will be good," said as a young girl when told where she stood in the line of royal succession. Snappy, eh? The Straight Dope research department is glad Victoria alphabetically comes immediately before Gore Vidal, who, upon being asked what might have happened if Khrushchev and not Kennedy had been assassinated in 1963, said, "With history one can never be certain, but I think I can safely say that Aristotle Onassis would not have married Mrs. Khrushchev." Were Victoria alive today, even she would have been amused.

— Cecil Adams Mary Ann Bernal: 9 of history's best quotes 9 of history's best quotes Queen Victoria, who reportedly said "We are not amused". (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Neil Armstrong: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” On 20 July 1969, as Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon, he marked the momentous event with this iconic statement. After jumping more than three feet down from his spacecraft Apollo 11 onto the moon’s surface and issuing his immortal words, Armstrong explored the moon’s surface for two-and-a-half hours along with fellow American astronaut Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin. The pair made their mark by planting an American flag and a plaque that read, "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind". Interestingly, though, the words uttered by Armstrong in that historic moment are in fact a misquote. After a safe journey home Armstrong told the press that what he had actually said – or intended to – was, “That’s one small step for a man”.

The indefinite article was lost over the crackling audio connection – a small omission that led to a significant change in the quote’s meaning. Armstrong acknowledged this, saying that “The ‘a’ was intended. I thought I said it”. Yet since the misquote had already been repeated the world over, Armstrong was forced to concede “I can’t hear it when I listen on the radio reception here on earth, so I’ll be happy if you just put it in parentheses”. American astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon as commander of the Apollo 11 lunar mission. (MPI/Getty Images) Marie Antoinette: “Let them eat cake!” According to popular legend, this flippant remark was Marie Antoinette’s response to being told that the French people were starving and they could not afford bread. The quote, widely attributed to her, has become a symbol of the callous decadence of France’s monarchy on the eve of the French Revolution (1789–99).

Antoinette was famed for her extravagant lifestyle, and her exclamation of “Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" (which actually translates more literally to ‘let them eat brioche’ or a enriched, egg-based bread) was seen as damning mockery of the plight of her people. It is now generally accepted, though, that Antoinette most likely never uttered these famous words. Instead they are thought to have been attributed to her by revolutionary propaganda keen to portray her as ignorant, distant and uncaring. Writing for History Revealed magazine, Emily Brand has suggested that the expression in fact pre-dates Antoinette. It is first referenced as the words “of a great princess” in Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s 1766 treatise Confessions, written when Antoinette was only 11 years old. Brand argues the saying was only linked to Antoinette 50 years after her execution in 1793. But while this quote may not in reality have been uttered by Antoinette, the phrase had sticking power because of the popular perception, whether justified or not, of the French queen as outrageously extravagant and insensitive to the struggles of her people.

Marie Antoinette in a 1775 portrait by Jean-Baptiste Gautier Dagoty. (Universal History Archive/Getty Images) Winston Churchill: “We shall fight on the beaches… we shall never surrender” Over the course of his political career, Winston Churchill delivered many iconic speeches in the face of war and hardship. From “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few” (1940) to “An iron curtain has descended across the continent” (1946), Churchill has been recognised as one of history’s most inspiring speakers. Churchill’s “We shall fight on the beaches” quote was part of a grave yet rousing speech given by the prime minister in the aftermath the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation. Churchill’s words were arguably fundamental in transforming the event in the popular imagination from a humiliating defeat into a miraculous triumph of bravery and determination. Indeed, Churchill’s words – which are often misquoted as “we shall fight them on the beaches” – have been immortalised as an example of Britain’s plucky ‘Blitz spirit’ in the face of adversity.

A frequently misremembered fact about the “We shall fight on the beaches” speech is that Churchill did not originally read it out over the nation’s airwaves. He delivered the speech unrecorded to the House of Commons and sections of it were later read out by a BBC radio announcer. The famous recording we recognise today was not actually made until nine years later in 1949, when it was thought that Churchill's words should be set down for posterity. Churchill delivering his “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat” speech over BBC radio in 1940. (Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images) Queen Victoria: “We are not amused” The story goes that this famous line was Queen Victoria’s retort to a risqué anecdote told by a tactless guest at a Windsor dinner party. In this version of events the “we” is intended, not as the royal “we”, but as a reference to all the ladies present who were unimpressed by such vulgar behaviour. Disappointingly, though, it is not clear whether this story stems from historical fact or just appealing urban legend.

“We are not amused” has perhaps had such sticking power because it is emblematic of the public image of Victoria in her later years – a po-faced, dumpy woman dressed in black. The quote fits neatly with this straitlaced portrayal of her and also provides a handy epithet for popular ideas about Victorian society being stuffy and uptight. The association of Victoria with the humourless quote arguably portrays the monarch in an unfair light. Writing for the Washington Post, historian Kate Williams has suggested that “dour” photos of Victoria, (the first photographed monarch) – taken before people learned how to pose – “unfairly colour our view of her”. Williams claims that Victoria was “full of passion for life, forgiving of moral peccadilloes” and “always loved laughter and jokes”. She was, in fact, often amused. A photograph of Queen Victoria c1887. (Alexander Bassano/Spencer Arnold/Getty Images) Julius Caesar: “I came, I saw, I conquered” Translated from the Latin “Veni, Vidi, Vici”, this line is attributed to Roman emperor Julius Caesar, who supposedly used it to boast of his military success.

According to ancient accounts, Caesar sent the three-word message to Rome in 47 BC to report on his victory over Pharnaces II of Pontus in the battle of Zela. Despite being significantly outnumbered at Zela, Caesar managed to crush the Pontic forces. His five-day campaign proved a swift, decisive victory that saw Pharnaces subdued by Caesar’s military might. According to Roman historian Suetonius’s The Twelve Caesars (AD 121) the “Veni, Vidi, Vici” slogan was also inscribed on placards during the ‘Pontic triumph’ – a public procession in celebration of Caesar’s return to Rome following his military victory. In his Life of Caesar, Greek biographer Plutarch (c46–120 AD) writes that “In Latin the words have the same inflectional ending, and so a brevity which is most impressive”. Bust of Julius Caesar. (National Museum in Naples/Bettman/Getty) FDR: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” These famous words were spoken during Franklin D Roosevelt’s first inaugural address, delivered at the United States Capitol, Washington DC on 4 March 1933.

Following an election victory over republican Herbert Hoover in 1932, Roosevelt became the 32nd president of the United States. Known as ‘FDR’, he went on to become the first president to serve a total of four terms. Elected during the depths of America’s Great Depression, Roosevelt made his 20-minute address a solemn and resolved affair. It tackled head-on the nation’s economic crisis and unemployment, blaming the “callous and selfish wrongdoing” of bankers and businessmen. This quote, which goes on to describe “fear itself” as the “nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses needed effort to convert retreat into advance” appeared near the very beginning of Roosevelt’s address. Contemporaries understood it as a pointed attack on the damaged and pessimistic American mindset of the time, which had been dealt a heavy blow by the economic crash. Broadcast to tens of millions of Americans over national radio networks, FDR’s speech was generally accepted as a dynamic and inspiring promise to get America back on track. President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his first inaugural address at the Capitol in 1933.

(George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images) Oscar Wilde: “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about” This remark, from Oscar Wilde’s 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, is just one example of reams of quotable material from the celebrated writer, conversationalist and wit. Wilde’s comic plays made a satire of the contradictions and petty manners of polite Victorian society. Works including The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) and An Ideal Husband (1895) are full of the wry observances and witty aphorisms for which Wilde is best known. Dozens of his phrases, including “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars”; “Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much” and “I have nothing to declare but my genius” have proven enduringly popular. In 2007 Wilde was voted Britain’s greatest wit in a poll of more than 3,000 comedy fans, beating to the top spot Spike Milligan, Winston Churchill and Noel Coward.

The Irish-born Wilde was wisecracking until the very end, reportedly quipping on his Parisian deathbed in November 1900, “Either those curtains go, or I do”. Colourised photograph of Oscar Wilde from around 1870. (Roger Viollet Collection/Getty Images) Queen Elizabeth I: “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too” This assertion of royal power from Elizabeth I was part of a rousing speech delivered by the queen in one of England’s darkest moments, as the nation faced the threat of imminent attack from the Spanish Armada. Elizabeth’s rallying cry was intended to motivate the English troops assembled at Tilbury in August 1588 as they awaited the arrival of an unprecedented Spanish invasion force. Through her words the queen clearly portrayed herself as a warrior ready to fight for her nation. Accounts portray Elizabeth addressing her troops atop a white steed, wearing a helmet and cutlass. Despite the threat to her safety, the queen allegedly refused to return to London, instead resolving to stay at the English army camp at Tilbury.

She reportedly declared that she would “not think of deserting her army at a time of danger”. Writing for History Extra in 2015, Robert Hutchinson revealed that although the speech elsewhere pledges that “shortly we shall have a famous victory over these enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people’’, in reality it was probably not delivered in a moment of imminent danger. Hutchinson suggests that Elizabeth’s stirring words only reached her men after the Armada was already in retreat. The words were recorded by royal courtier Lionel Sharp and later repeated to the army. Elizabeth I of England is depicted riding a horse as she reviews her troops at Tilbury, c1560. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Eleanor Roosevelt: “Women are like teabags – you don’t know how strong they are until you put them in hot water” While her husband, Franklin D Roosevelt, was serving as US president between 1933 and 1945, Eleanor Roosevelt redefined the role of first lady through her active engagement in politics.

An outspoken social campaigner and early ambassador of the United Nations, Eleanor was also engaged in human rights work, playing a significant role in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Many inspirational quotes have been attributed to Eleanor, including “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”; “Do one thing every day that scares you” and “It is not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself”. Her “Women are like teabags” quote seems to draw on several older variations of the idea, including “A man is like an egg, the longer he is kept in hot water the harder he is when taken out”, which appeared in an 1858 Boston newspaper, and “Men are like potatoes; they do not know how soon they may be in hot water”, from an 1870 Dublin newspaper. While there is little concrete evidence that Eleanor spoke the original quote, it is now widely attributed to her. The adage is reportedly a favourite of presidential candidate Hilary Clinton, who herself recently ascribed it to Eleanor. 35 Times the Queen Was Not Amused 35 Times the Queen Was Not Amused In honor of her 90th birthday.

view gallery 35 Photos The line "We are not amused" is famously attributed to Queen Victoria, who, as legend has it, uttered the phrase after seeing a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore...or, as other legends have it, dropped the quip after hearing the unfunny punch line of a guest's joke. And whether she said it or not, the line has become ingrained in our culture, and, at times, our faces―including the visage of Victoria's great-great-granddaughter Elizabeth II, who turns 90 today. So, to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's birthday, 35 times she was not amused―for, well, your amusement. More

Question: Who uttered the 'famous' quotation "We are not amused"?
Answer: Queen Victoria